1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to roof hip and ridge anchor device, and more particularly, to such a device that is used in conjunction with an adhesive compound to secure the tiles to the device which in turn is mechanically anchored to the roof structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Several designs for roof hip and ridge anchor devices have been designed in the past. None of them, however, include the anchorage features of the present invention while simultaneously keeping the design compatible with roll forming manufacturing processes. Roll forming techniques are suitable for relatively inexpensive production operations but carry inherent limitations. The present invention reconciles these limitations with a sturdy design that results in an article of manufacture that can withstand the most exigent wind pressures to which a roof envelope is exposed.
Applicant believes that the closest reference corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 6,647,675 issued to the inventor herein on Nov. 18, 2003. However, it differs from the present invention because it fails to provide an elongated cover with at least one elongated channel with a coextensive bottom wall and two longitudinally extending walls. Additionally, the mechanical anchorage between the adhesive compound and the device results in a device with wind pressure advantages. There have not been any accessory devices in the dwelling roof industry, prior to Applicant's invention, that used an elongated channel to increase the contact area of an adhesive. The closest art known to Applicant that provides for a structure that includes a channel or depression is U.S. Pat. No. 1,093,201 issued to Owen. However, there is no suggestion in the reference to maximizing the contact area for receiving an adhesive. The channel in Owen's patent is used to provide a barrier for water to be forced up and not the maximization of contact area for an adhesive. In the present invention, the bottom wall(s) of the channel (or channels) includes depressed slots bridge notches that form a bridge with a through passage that permit the adhesive compound to be forced through. Some of the adhesive compound is lodged adjacent to the bridge. Thus, when set, the adhesive compound provides an anchorage mechanism that resists substantially greater pulling forces than were previously withstood with dimples or through holes. This particular type of opening has provided superior results in pulling tests and it is simultaneously compatible with cost efficient roll forming techniques.
Additionally, the present invention is an improvement over the parent application by providing a connected depressed portion with a through passage for receiving therethrough the adhesive.
Other patents describing the closest subject matter provide for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these patents suggest the novel features of the present invention.